Rock icon Lenny Kravitz expressed his dismay over black media outlets in a recent interview, claiming they have largely ignored him, and revealing that “to this day,” he has never been invited to a BET event or a Source Awards.

“To this day, I have not been invited to a BET thing or a Source Awards thing,” Kravitz told Esquire, “And it’s like, here is a black artist who has reintroduced many black art forms, who has broken down barriers — just like those that came before me broke down.”

“That is positive. And they don’t have anything to say about it?” Kravitz, who has an upcoming double album, “Blue Electric Light,” added of black media outlets.

The report also pointed out that Vibe magazine, which has featured prominent black artists in its pages since it first began publishing in 1993, waited nearly a decade before it put Kravitz on its cover.

Esquire also noted that rapper Jay-Z told the magazine, “There would be no Tyler, the Creator without Lenny Kravitz,” adding, “We need those moments of inspiration. That pushes creativity and opens up lanes for others.”

“Forty million records sold. Four Best Male Rock Vocal Performance Grammys — in a row. An MTV Video Award from the time MTV Video Awards still mattered. Concerts at the biggest venues on the planet,” Esquire reported.

While it remains unclear why black media outlets have largely ignored Kravitz, some might surmise that unlike other artists, he has not gotten political
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